Congress recently has passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which leaves most elements of the current postal regulatory framework (postal monopoly, state owned enterprise) unaltered. Similar regulatory frameworks have been established in the U.S. and the European Community....

The member states of the European Union (EU) and the EU institutions have increasingly been using public-private partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate the development of (ambitious) trans-national infrastructure. This paper argues that in the EU (i) private sector partners remain risk-averse; and...

In this paper, we evaluate the efficiency of the French State aid plan for broadband deployment, the Plan France Très Haut Débit. According to State aid rules, public subsidies should not be substitute for private investment and should target areas with market failures. We estimate a...

The initial distribution of emissions allowances is usually thought to be independent of the emissions outcome, but free allocation can affect the efficiency and fairness of allowance trading. Inefficiency may result from thin allowance markets, poor price discovery, and regulatory or...

A high level of public services in housing, transport, education and health care is essential for liveability in urban centres, as shown in this report, with the help of European data for large cities. Inhabitants of larger cities, where the housing market is heavily commercialised in terms of...

The paper analyses the opportunity, importance, implications and chances of success of one of the leading initiatives of the European Union, namely the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPRS). The conclusion is that, because of a number of economic, political and social phenomena manifested in...

Procurement processes with tender competition have been a preferred approach for engaging service providers in Norway. Even if the present Norwegian government finds it “essential that competition becomes an integral part of all public activity,” a simultaneous push for preserving the...

The main objective of this research paper is to present how the public sector may contribute to the development of social innovations and to what extent this process may be supported by the European Social Fund’s (ESF) resources. The research method comprises critical analysis of the ESF...

The member states of the European Union (EU) and the EU institutions have increasingly been using public-private partnerships (PPPs) to accelerate the development of (ambitious) trans-national infrastructure. This paper argues that in the EU (i) private sector partners remain risk-averse; and...

The Eurosystem is mandated to safeguard price stability according to Article 127 TFEU. Based on a theoretical and policy-oriented approach, this article sheds light on a second public good with enormous practical relevance both for financial markets and institutions as well as for the general...